Childhood cancer in siblings

Abstract

The medical records of 973 previously untreated patients diagnosed between January 1960 and December 31, 1978 with childhood cancer were reviewed. Siblings in 13 families were diagnosed with cancer 9/12 to 15 years after the diagnosis of cancer in the index sibling. Previously unreported association of acute lymphoblastic leukemia with Hodgkin's disease, neuroblastoma with malignant hemangiopericytoma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma with malignant melanoma, Wilms' tumor with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease with malignant teratoma of the testis and craniopharyngioma with acute myeloblastic leukemia were identified. Two families appeared to transmit a predisposition to childhood tumors. The data from these families extend previous observations regarding multiple cases of cancer in sibships.